Q: I live in NH, so I definitely will be driving in the snow! I am currently running Conti Extreme Contact, which are the stock tires. Not bad...but anyone tried anything better?
A: There is no such thing as "best" tire as best is very much subjective in this case. Many variables such dry handling, wet handling, hydroplaning resistance, snow handling, tread wear, cornering grip, tire noise, etc. etc. etc. Much of what determines best for someone is what order those priorities mentioned above are most important, and what type of terrain and road conditions will be travelled on. No one tire will cover all of those aspects better than all other tires so you need to figure out what is most important to you and determine which tire would best suit your needs. By the way, a true winter tire is always better for snow conditions compared to an all-season tire. Just keep in mind that the term "all-season tire" is really a compromise for tire manufacturers as they have to design a tire with rubber compounds and tread design for both conditions. However, many characteristics are at odds with each other. For example, in the winter, you want a narrow tire that helps cut through the snow for better traction but in the summer, a wider tire offers better grip and traction. My advice ( and I do this myself ) is to have two sets of rims and tires. One will be your summer set which can either be an all-season tire or if you want something a little more sporty and better handling, a summer/performance tire. The second set is a winter tire set. Put the winter tires on steel rims as it is both cheaper and if if NH uses a lot of road salt in the winter time, the salt won't eat away the finish on the more expensive alloy rims.